Suffering to be Beautiful

Suffer to be Beautiful
An Exploration into the Flaws and Fears of a “Thigh Gap” and “Versace” Society

The meaning of beauty has a vast and varied makeup, curving and swaying into the depths of poetry, literature, and history. However, the modern world has skinned the concept of Beauty down to only three words: Thin and Popular. This Modus Operandi and Ponens, respectively, have rooted themselves into all corners of the media and beyond. The industry of fashion, fragrance, and cosmetics nets an annual profit of over thirteen billion dollars in the US alone; why then statistics of poor body image and the problems- both psychologically and medically- remain at lofty and concerning heights? The answer to the question “Why don't I look like that?” asked by Americans, adolescents and young women in particular, is this: It is not what is outside, but what is inside that matters. And they have poorly balanced enzymes and inaccurate interpretations of those around them on the inside.
Of the two aforementioned criteria, the pursuit of being skinny is arguably the more dangerous overall, and certainly the unhealthiest for the body. Radical diets and eating disorders, such as Anorexia and Bulimia, are Hail Mary attempts at combating weight gain and burning fat. Unfortunately, these practices are more likely to cause kidney failure, internal bleeding, ulcers, or even death before they would appease the numbers on the bathroom scale. In addition in these risks, binging/purging, hunger periods, and fanatic menu restrictions don’t even target the true source of unwanted body fat. Calories (and subsequently, Fat) are the body’s fuel, and “are made of many different kinds of raw [chemical] materials,” which divides them into different places to b...

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... This downward insecurity spiral leads us to hating both ourselves and our fellow ladies for having body types different than our own.” The Haute Couture world, a place where “you must be delgada [thin] to fit into our prada,” and where “Fashion is THE Art and Designers are the gods… Whoever would ever dare to go against that beauty is THE trade and everyone is paid,” is no place for youth with budding ambitions and thin self esteem.
For the final note, no one person or group of people is to blame for a culture where “ninety percent of young girls fear becoming fat more than nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.” Wanting to look and act at full potential is not inherently a bad thing. But when a teenager sings Stefani Germanotta’s “Fashion,” and they reach the line “Dress me, for I am anyone you want me to be,” they do mean anyone. Anyone but themselves.